Renesas and TSMC join forces to build an ecosystem of microcontrollers

     Renesas Electronics Corporation and Taiwan Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) announced today that they have signed an agreement to expand their cooperation in microcontroller (MCU) technology to the manufacturing of 40nm embedded flash memory (eFlash) for the production of microcontrollers for next-generation consumer products such as automobiles and home appliances. Renesas has previously commissioned TSMC to produce microcontrollers for the 90 nm process, and in this collaboration, Renesas will commission TSMC to produce microcontrollers for the 40 nm process and more advanced manufacturing processes.

     Combine Renesas' support for highly reliable and high-speed metal-oxide-Nitride-oxide-Silicon (MONOS) technology with TSMC's support for high-quality technology, including advanced complementary Metal Oxide semiconductor (CMOS) production and flexible capacity regulation. Renesas and TSMC will work together on the MCU platform and advanced technologies required for manufacturing to achieve world leadership. In addition, by making this MONOS production platform available to other semiconductor suppliers around the world, including Fabless companies and Integrated component manufacturers (IDMs), the goal is to build an ecosystem and further expand the customer base.

     Based on their long-standing relationship, TSMC provides Renesas with advanced CMOS processes and manufacturing capabilities that allow Renesas to achieve both high cost efficiency and high reliability while integrating flash memory into a single microcontroller. Microcontroller products manufactured using 40 nanometers offer higher speeds, lower power consumption, and more than 50% smaller chip sizes than current 90 nanometers, which are particularly important for integrated microcontroller designs that compress logic chips, memory, and other system components into a very small area.

     Shinichi Iwamoto, senior Vice President, MCU Business Head, Renesas Electronics, said, "Going forward, Renesas Electronics will aim for global growth in the semiconductor business, considering TSMC's superior advantages in providing rapid mass production of products, real-time and large-scale production of cutting-edge processes, and responding to sharp fluctuations in market demand. This cooperation with TSMC is an important strategy for Renesas Electronics to achieve global market growth.

     The earthquake in Japan last year affected many production lines of Renesas, which had a great impact on customers. To learn from these lessons, Renesas is moving forward with the construction of a Fab Network, starting with the company's Business Continuity Plan (BCP). By leveraging our two companies' world-leading technology strengths, we will build a stable and reliable supply chain for our customers while building a market-leading MCU production ecosystem."

     "Renesas is a leader in the microcontroller market, and through this partnership, TSMC will contribute to providing Renesas with the necessary performance for new microcontrollers while meeting customer expectations for high quality and reliability," said Chen Junsheng, senior vice president, Global Business and Marketing, TSMC.